Sibling Rivalry
by JA Baker
Summary: Mal’s bounty-hunter sister turns up looking for Simon and River, forcing him to deal with the life he left behind on Shadow, and a promise he was forced to brake…
1. The Bounty Hunter

**Sibling Rivalry  
  
Part 1: The Bounty hunter**

The sights and sounds of the trading station where an assault on the senses that Simon found it hard to compensate for. Added to this was the fact that he was supposed to be looking for his wayward sister who had disappeared again.

Shepard Book had agreed to help find her while the others finished loading up _Serenity_ for a surprisingly legal cargo run that would go someway to filling their depleted coffers and keep them flying.

The only problem was the station was big, and River was relatively small.

The unmistakable sound of a gun being cocked brought Simon back to reality with a bump.

"Doctor Simon Tam, you are bound by law to stand down." A surprisingly feminine, but no-less threatening, voice came from somewhere behind him, "Now put those highly trained hands behind your head and don't do anything stupid." Cold metal pressed against the back of his head, "'Cause this old Nitro-Express of mine will make a horrible mess of you if I so much as stroke this here trigger."

"I think we have a slight case of mistaken identity..." Simon tried to buy himself some time to think, but the unyielding gun-barrel slammed into the back of his head.

"Now what did I just say about doing something stupid?" The voice asked, sounding more than a little annoyed, "You can plead your innocence to the nice Federal Judge on Osiris." A strong hand grabbed Simon by the wrist and he felt the cold steel of a pair of handcuffs snap home.

"Simon!" River chose that moment to appear, "What's happening? Some kind of game?"

"No!" Simon's expression changed to one of terror, "RUN!"

"I wouldn't do that if I where you." The voice cocked a second hammer, "This here guns got two barrels, and although I need to take her in alive to get paid, the warrant said nothing about her having both legs intact."

Simon was span round to find himself facing the brim of a truly ancient looking Stetson hat. The hat tilted back, revelling an attractive, if grime covered, face framed by faint traces of blond hair. The long trench coat the apparent bounty hunter wore hung open to reveal a pair of automatic pistols hung from holsters under each arm. A revolver hung long on her right hip. Although the cloths looked shabby and several sizes too big for the occupant, there was no deigning that she was a very attractive young woman, not more than a few years older than River.

"Excuse me, Miss?" Simon almost fainted when Shepard Book appeared out of the shadows, "I do truly believe that you are mistaken: I know these two personally, and I give you my word before God that they have never committed a crime."

"Warrant says otherwise." Blond held the gun steady with one hand while the other pulled a pair of flexi-sheets from inside the trench coat, "Not that I'm calling you a lie, you being a preacher and all, but I'm thinking that maybe you're the one who's mistaken." The drawl in the young woman's voice reminded Simon of Jayne, and he mentally tagged her with the name. "And there was I thinking there'd be no work on a luh-suh station like this, when I spy the good doctor here, and I just know his little sister's got to be close by." Her eyes turned cold and drilled into Book, "Walk away while you still can Preacher man: this ain't your fight."

"Ok, I'll go." Book backed away, "But I still think you're making a mistake..."

* * *

Book was almost out of breath by the time he got back to _Serenity_, shooting through the door at a dead run. He hit the first cargo crate and felt his legs give out.

"Something wrong Preacher?" Mal asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Simon. River. Bounty hunter." Book gasped.

"Meh, tah mah duh hwoon dahn!" Mal swore, "Zoë, Jayne, with me. Rest of you, get the rest of this stored away and power up the engines: we may have to leave in a hurry." He grabbed Book and pulled him back though the airlock."

* * *

"What ever the bounty is, I'll double it." Simon sat on one end of a bed in a very down market hotel. River was perched on the other end, apparently still under the impression that this was all a game.

"So now you're saying you is Simon Tam?" Blond looked at him from across the room, shotgun across her knees as she waited for someone to pick up the other end of the phone, "Jake, it's me: I need transport to the core two of myself and two prisoners. Yes, that's right. Ship leaving bay eight, two hours? Can they handle prisoners? Much obliged." She put the phone down, "Well then, look's like you're going home."

"You can't do that!" Simon protested, straining at the handcuffs.

"Oh I can and I will." Blond stood, the huge shotgun swinging round to face River and Simon, "Time to go."

* * *

Book couldn't help be feel out of place surrounded by Mal, Zoë and Jayne: the three of them moved like a pack of wolves, eyes always searching the crowed for danger. People instinctively got out of their way, while the Sheppard was pulled along behind them.

"If this bounty hunter wants the reward, they're going to have to take them back to the Core." Mal looked around the various airlocks, "And that means a ship of some kind."

"Wouldn't they just hand the two of them over to the Feds?" Jayne asked.

"The Alliance has no interest in a place like this." Zoë shook her head; "They leave it up to the local authorities to keep the peace and watch out for fugitives."

"Over there!" Book pointed at a dark coroner, "I swear I just saw River."

"Jayne to the left, Zoë to the right. Sheppard, stay back; this could get messy." Mal drew his revolver.

"Well I'll be a fay-fay duh pee-yen!" Blond glanced round the side of a crate, "Malcolm Reynolds." She smiled, "I must have done something good in a previous life." She shrugged, bringing the shotgun to her shoulder and sighting along the barrels, "Can't think what it might have been."

"What?" Simon blinked, and then dived forward, "NO!" He knocked the young bounty hunter forward, "Mal, it's a trap: run!"

The deferring report of the shotgun drowned out all other noise as it send a pair of huge lead bullets into the thick deck plating just inches from Mal's foot. He dived to the side; firing a quick shot back the direction the attack had come from.

Zoë raised her cut-down Winchester and let of a few rounds intended to keep any hostiles ducked-down while Mal and Jayne ran forward to rescue Simon and River.

Keeping down low, Jayne rushed forward, and found himself running straight into a rifle but halfway through an up swing. He ended up lying on his back, stars exploding before his eyes.

Mal took that opportunity to dive out of cover and tackle the bounty hunter, knocking her off her feet and sending the two of them sprawling across the deck, fighting for dominance. Fists, feet, knees and elbows flew in both directions as they rolled across the floor. After a brief struggle, Mal was able to pin the bounty hunter just as her hat fell off.

"Ai ya! Hwai leh!" He looked down at her, one fist held back ready to strike, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"**YOU BASTARD!**" The bounty hunter punched out at his crotch with all her strength. Mal's eyes crossed over as he collapsed to the side, trying to breath.

"Try that gos se again and I'll end you!" Zoë stood over the other woman, gun raised and ready.

"Don't!" Mal spluttered, "Leave her be." He managed to get to his knees with Book's assistance, "She's my little sister."

**To Be Continued...**


	2. Broken promises and old feuds

_All English/Chinese translations care of the __Firefly Chinese Pinyinary )_

**Sibling Rivalry**

**  
Part 2: Broken promises and old feuds**

"Your what, sir?" Zoë asked, keeping her gun levelled.

"Zoë, meet Samantha Reynolds, my little sister." Mal climbed to his feet, "Who should be back home on Shadow."

"Tsai boo shr." Simon shook his head.

"Liou koe-shway duh biao-tze huh hoe-tze duh bun ur-tze." The bounty hunter cursed at Mal from her place on the floor.

"Bee-jaw!" Mal looked down at his sister, "And that's no way to talk about mum and dad."

"Oh, juh jun shr guh kwai-luh duh…" Jayne got to his feet, "Captain, we'd better be going: someone's got to have called the Law over this by now."

"I agree." Mal crabbed a set of key's from his sister's belt and handed them to Book, "Get Simon and River un-tied." He then grabbed the discarded shotgun and looked at it, "This was dad's: what you doing with it Sam?"

"Hwoon dahn." Was all his sister said as she pulled herself to her feet.

"We'll discus it later." Mal grabbed her by the arm, "You're coming with us."

* * *

"Why exactly do we have a shiong-mung duh kwong-run onboard?" Wash asked, before looking at Jayne, "Well, a second one anyway."

"Chur ni-duh." Jayne glared at the pilot.

"Bee-jway, neen hen boo-tee-tyen duh nan-shung!" Inara slammed her fist down on the dinner table, "Mal says she's his sister."

"I didn't even know the Captain had a sister." Kaylee sat at the end of the table, arms crossed, "He's never really talked about his past…"

* * *

"Weapons Sam, all of them." Mal stood in the cargo bay holding a large sack, "Dong-ma?"

"Hwoon dahn." Sam started by slowly drawing the 9mm from under her arms, then the revolver from her hip. She dropped them in the bag, followed by a 2-shot Derringer from her right boot, a sharp hunting knife from the other, a pair of throwing knives from her belt and a knuckle-duster from one pocket.

"And the rest." Zoë stood to one side, gun at the ready.

"Gwon nee tze-jee duh shr you jien hwo." Sam glared at the other woman.

"Tyen shiao duh" Mal shook his head, "If mom could hear you now…"

"Yeh-soo, ta ma duh..." Zoë almost snarled.

"Knock it off the pair of you!" Mal shouted, his voice echoing off the enclosed walls, "Sam, stop calling people names. And Zoë, try and be a little more tactful."

"Meh, tah mah duh hwoon dahn…" Sam started.

"I hove told you to watch you mouth, especially when talking about mom!" Mal looked ready to hit his sister, "What in the tyen shiao-duh are you doing away from home anyway?"

"Why should you care, Mr big tough war hero?" Sam looked ready to rip her older brother jugular out, "What ever happened to 'Don't worry Sam, I'll be back after the war'?" She looked him straight in the eye, "You know how hard it was for mom to keep the ranch after dad died: if it wasn't for the fact that you where almost of age the magistrate would have given it to Uncle Philo. After you failed to return home after the war, he started making trouble again, saying I wasn't fit to run such an big place on my own."

"That huh choo-shung huh tza-jiao duh tzang-huo!!" Mal cursed, his eyes wide, "Mom always said he was after the place."

"Well he got it: his son Junior was made magistrate about 3 years ago." Sam explained, her own anger seeming to fade slightly, "First thing he did was declare me unfit to run such an important local employer on my own, and handed it to his Pa for 'safe keeping' until you returned. Philo took over, turned me into a virtual prisoner so I could get help from anyone, and started running things his way. After 6 months, I managed to bribe my way to the nearest spaceport on a grain hauler and got off world. Being a young girl, only just of age, I had three choices: get married, become a whore, or a Bounty Hunter."

"And to think I told Ma that teaching you to shoot was a bad thing?" Mal shook his head, "I'm sorry Sam: I just couldn't go back home, play nice with the Alliance as a rancher after what happened during the war."

"Yeah, that what mom thought, right up to the end..." Sam looked genially hurt.

"Sam, I couldn't make it back for the funeral." Mal looked sadder than Zoë ever remembered seeing him, "I was still in the interment camp, waiting to be proceed. The Alliance wouldn't let me go early…" He looked at the deck for a moment, then his face changed, becoming harder, "Zoë, go get Wash and tell him to set cores for Shadow: I have a promise to keep."

* * *

"Shadow? Can't say I've ever been there." Shepard Book sat a the dinner table with the rest of the 'passengers', "Anyone know what this is about?"

"Mal said it was something personal." Inara sipped her tea, "Isn't he from there originally?"

"I honestly couldn't say." Simon shrugged, "He's never been very open about his past."

* * *

"Why didn't you go back, sir?" Zoë asked as she leaned against the bridge door, "Sounds to me like this ranch is worth a lot of money."

"It's not mine, not really." Mal looked at the deck, "It was meant to go to my brother Terry, but he died in the same accident that took my dad. I never really felt a home on the land: don't get me wrong, it's a big place, but I always felt like it was confining me. I guess that's why I bought _Serenity_: the get out and away."

"And how 'old Uncle Philo's stole the place out from under you." Wash shook his head, "There's no justice in this 'verse…"

"No justice." Mal drew his revolver and sighted down the barrel, "Just us."

**To Be Continued…**


	3. The long exile’s end…

_Thank you to everyone whose reviewed the story so far. Thos of you who ask about spelling better look at my profile._

_Wayward: thanks for the offer to Beta. It sure would be helpful if your profile included your e-mail address ;)_

**Sibling Rivalry  
Part 3: The long exile's end…**

"We'll be breaching atmo' in ten!" Wash's voice called out over the intercom, "A landing site would be nice."

"We'd better get up there." Mal looked across the table to where Sam and Zoë where doing their best to keep up an uneasy truce: the journey from the station to Shadow had almost ended in bloodshed on more than one occasion, until Mal had threatened to lock them in a shuttle and let them fight it out.

"You two go; I'll join you in a minuet." Sam stood and headed for the stairs, "Something I got to do first."

* * *

"Doctor Tam?" Sam stood in the infirmary doorway.

"Wuh de ma." Simon dropped the tray of instruments he was carrying, "Miss Reynolds. How can I help you?"

"I just wanted to apologise for what I said and did back on the station." Sam leaned against the doorframe, "It really wasn't anything personal or the like: just business."

"Yes, I'm sure my sister would understand that being sent back to the butchers who played with her brain because they could would have understood that."

"I'm not going to apologise for being a bounty hunter: it may not be the best job in the 'verse, but it's legal. Unlike what my dear brother has dragged you into."

"There's legal, and then there's moral…"

"Ah, now where talking ethics, and there I have to agree with you: I have no love for the Alliance. In fact, I hate them almost as much as you or Mal, but I am a pragmatist; I have to earn a living."

"Even one that condemns innocent people to death and torture?"

"You'd have to go a long way to find someone who's truly innocent." Sam turned to go, then stopped, "But from what I've seen the last few days, I have to believe your sister is one of them."

* * *

Sam wasn't half surprised to find Kaylee hiding in the corridor just outside the infirmary, a slightly worried look on her face. She sighed: she hadn't had much of a chance to get to know the crew that well, and the young engineer seemed very protective of Simon…

"I'm not a threat." Sam decided to tackle the problem head on, "I'm not about to get between the two of you."

"Who said there was anything between Simon and me?" Kaylee asked defensively.

"Ah, but I bet you wish there was." Sam smiled, taking Keylee's hand, "Walk with me a little."

* * *

The two women found their way to the second shuttle: the drab interior tended to dispel the idea of casual visitors, making it probably the most privet place on the ship.

"Ok, spill." Sam sat on a crate.

"What's to spill?" Kaylee kicked her feet subconsciously, "There's nothing going on."

"But you like him?"

"Yeah, a little, when he's not so stuck up."

"Little repressed is he?"

"Yeah."

"So nothing has ever happened between the two of you?"

"Almost, a couple of times, but something always gets in the way, or he says something, and I'll overreact and storm off."

"Sounds like the two of you need a kick in the head!" Sam grinned, "I've been around a bit these past 5 years, even to the Core a few times, and I've met people like Simon Tam. Things are, well, a little different in the Core: you like some out here, you just tell them and see what happens, but in there, you have to jump through hoops to see if they like you too."

"But Simon dose like me!"

"Maybe you should show him just how much you like him?"

"You think so?"

"I know so, but not now: I have a feeling that whatever my brother has planed is going to end with some work for the good Doctor, and I want him to have his head on straight when the time comes."

"Ok." Kaylee nodded, her mind already starting to plan what to do, "I'll leave it, for now. But thanks."

* * *

"Ok, where we landing?" Sam asked, breezing through the bridge hatchway.

"Clarkstown landing field." Mal glanced over his shoulder, "Zoë, you up for a little recon?"

"As ever." The First Mate nodded, "But it think I should take someone else with me so I can work a cover story."

"What you got in mind." The captain asked, turning round.

"I'll ask Sheppard to go with me, and I'll pretend to be his niece." Zoë explained, "We'll say that he knew you during the war and, as he was in the area, wanted to catch up on old times. We'll see what your uncle has to say for himself."

"It's a good plan." Mal nodded, "Take a weapon, but keep it out of sight: I'll prep the shuttle, and if you need us, use your radio and Jayne and I will be there."

"And me: I've got as much ridding on this as you have." Sam looked at her brother, than reached down to her boot and pulled out a small pistol that she handed to Zoë, "Take this: it's small enough to hide, and only takes 5 rounds, but it'll stop a man sure as anything."

"I thought I told you to hand over all your weapons?" Mal asked, taking the Derringer and examining it.

"You did, but I didn't." Sam shrugged, "Not my fault you didn't do a good job searching me."

* * *

The old cart dropped Zoë and Sheppard Book at the end of the dirt road leading to the Reynolds family ranch. They walked along it in silence; Zoë feeling uncomfortable in the dress Inara had lent her so she could play the role of a Preachers ward.

"Can I help you Reverend?" A ranch hand asked as they reached the gate.

"I hope so." Book said calmly, "I'm looking for an old friend of mine: Malcolm Reynolds. This is the last address I have for him."

"Boss!" The worker called to the house, "We got someone here looking for Mal Reynolds."

"Really?" A huge mountain of a man, his gut straining his belt, stepped out of the main door and walked across the yard, sweat glistering of his balding head, "And who would you be?"

"The Reverend Book." Sheppard bowed slightly, "And this is my ward and niece, Zoë. Zoë, say hello to the nice gentleman."

"Charmed, I'm sure." Zoë curtsied slightly, already planning her revenge.

"Philo Reynolds, at your service." The man nodded, his eyes leering at Zoë, "How would you know young Mal?"

"I was his unit chaplain during the war." Book started on the cover story, "I happened to have business on Shadow, and remembered that he came from a ranch around here, so decided to stop by and pay my respects."

"Well I'm sorry to tell you this Reverend, but you're a bit late." Philo mopped his brow; "I'm afraid young Mal was killed in a shootout on Persephone not long after the war ended. As the closest family of legal age, I inherited."

**To Be Continued…**


	4. Dead man walking

**Sibling Rivalry  
Part 4: Dead man walking**

"I'M WHAT?" Mal look ready to burst a blood vessel after Zoë and Book reported what they had leaned.

"Dead; gunfight on Persephone about 5 years back, according to your uncle." Zoë couldn't help be smile slightly, "And Sam ran off and married herself a nice Alliance officer on Zeus."

"Jien tah duh guay!" Sam exclaimed, "If I ever get my hands on him I'm going to…"

"Save it for later Mei-mei." Mal stopped her mid rant, "How many men he got?"

"I counted at lest 12 men; all armed." Book looked worried, "I don't think he'll give up without a fight."

"Then we'll take it over his dead body!" Sam looked ready to take the entire planet on her own.

"I think the two of you should seriously think about just how much this Ranch means to the two of you." Wash looked up from his seat, "And I'm not just talking about money here: is it worth getting killed over?"

"You meh, tah mah duh hwoon dahn!" Sam pulled back her fist to punch the pilot, but Mal grabbed her arm before Zoë could intercede.

"That is enough!" Mal glared sternly at his sister, "Mom didn't bring you up to talk like that!" He swallowed, "And Wash is right: as much as I hate to see someone like Philo win, we have to ask ourselves if it's worth it."

"Maybe Philo was right: maybe my brother is dead." Sam turned on her hills and stormed off.

* * *

"Sam, we need to talk." Mal thumped his fist against the hatch to her room, the red 'locked' light remaining lit, "Don't be so yu bun duh Sam."

"Chur ni-duh!" Came back his sister's reply, "Why did you even bother coming back here? You could have just left me back at the station."

"Because you're my little sister and looking out their little sisters is what big brothers do." Mal pulled his override card from his back pocket and used it on the lock, "I'm no happier about this than you are, but we can't go-off half cocked…" He stopped dead when he reached the bottom of the ladder and saw his sister was curled up on the bed crying, "Don't cry mei-mei."

"Drop dead Mal."

"Look: we're going to get the Ranch back, one way or another, we just have to plan it carefully to make sure we do it right."

"That's not what you said…"

"I say a lot of things, most of which is a load of old gos se. I don't like the idea of that hwoon dahn Philo getting away with this, but if I just walk in the front door I'm as dead as Earth-that-was."

"So what's the plan?"

"Is there anyone around here who might know the truth, who might help us?"

"Yeah: Hank McGee."

"Old Hank? He's got to be a hundred years old by now!"

"No, Little Hank, his great-grandson. I was at school with him, remember?"

"Little Hank? Ai ya! It really has been a while since I was home; he was just a kid when I left."

"So was I Mal."

"Think he's up to it? And I don't just mean 'will he help us': is he actually capable of doing anything?"

"He's the one who helped me get away in the first place. We can trust him."

"You sure about that?"

"If you're not going to trust me, how are you ever going to trust my friends?"

"Point."

* * *

It was getting dark by the time Mal, Zoë and Sam arrived at the McGee farm. The last few rays of the sun cast long shadows across the front yard that the bright spotlights on the houses veranda obliterated with several hundred watts of halogen-brightness.

"Who's there?" A voice called out, backed up by the sound of a shotgun being primed, "Show yourselves!"

"Getting a little jumpy in your old age Hank?" Sam smiled as she stepped through the gloom and into the light, "It's been a while."

"That it has." The voice replied, then a smiling face eclipsed the lights, "To damn long!"

"Good to see you too!" Sam walked up and embraced the farmer, "Told you I'd be back one day."

"Philo know you're back?"

"Na, not yet, but he will."

"You're going to need more that that old shotgun of your Pa's to go to war with that huh choo-shung huh tza-jiao duh tzang-huo."

"I'm not alone." Sam turned round, "You can make your entrance now."

"Ok." Mal stepped into the light, leaving Zoë behind with her gun trained on Hank, just in case, "Been a while Junior."

"Wuo duh ma" Hank blinked, "Malcolm Reynolds! You know that folk round here think you're dead?"

"Reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated." Mal smiled, offering his hand, "And not for the first time."

"That I can believe." Hank shook the offered hand, "Well you all better come in. Your friend out there with the Remington too, unless she like it out here in the cold."

* * *

"How did you know I was out there?" Zoë asked, "I know I didn't make a sound."

"Don't take it too personal." Hank smiled as he poured the coffee, "I grew up on this farm, keeping an eye out for coyotes and other critters: you develop good night-vision, or you lose chickens real fast."

"That I can believe!" Mal smiled, "It was a widely held belief that his Pa didn't need a light to read by. Say, what happened to old Zack?"

"Dead." Hank sat back in his chair, "Sheriff says it was drifters, but I know Philo had him killed. No offence, I know he's your blood and all, but that man is the meanest, trickiest rattlesnake ever to crawl on the earth."

"None taken: Ma always said her family cursed the day he was born." Mal shivered, "Who is the Sheriff anyway?"

"Philo Junior; he's also Mayer, Magistrate, Fire Chief and Notoriety." Hank shook his head, "His Pa brought him every position he could, they practically own the town these days: no-one's got the guts or muscle to stand against him."

"Got it all worked out, hasn't he." Sam looked dark and angry, a very dangerous mix, "What's he been up to recently?"

"Been buying up every homestead he can get his hands on." Hank sighed, "He owns half the valley and most of the mines south of here. The guy's got more money than some planets, and Alliance backing for his games."

"What's the Alliance want with him?" Mal asked, intrigued.

"He provides most of the foodstuffs for the garrison in the capital; not to mention his whore-houses keep the troops entertained and liquored-up." Hank shook his head, "If you're going to take him down, you'll have to do it fast and hard, or before he'll have so many hire guns around that you'll think the war had started again."

* * *

"So, what's the news?" Wash was waiting for them when they got back to _Serenity_, "What we doing?"

"We're going to move the ship to the farm for now." Mal hit the controls to close the door, "We all need to get the lay of the land if we're going to do this right."

"Ok, I'm on it." Wash nodded, taking the steps back to the bridge two at a time.

"You and Hank seem real friendly back there." Mal looked at his sister.

"Shared experiences I guess." Sam smiled coyly, "We go way back."

"I'm getting the impression that there is something you're not telling me." Mal shook his head, "And I also think I don't want to know." He walked off."

"So what did happen between you and Hank?" Zoë asked, head cocked to the side.

"Let's just say we learned a lot together," Sam grinned as she walked off, "not all of it at school…"

**To Be Continued…**


	5. So much for the element of surprise…

**Sibling Rivalry  
Part 5: So much for the element of surprise...**

"I still say we just go in guns blazing and take the place by force." Sam sat at the dinner table, arms crossed, "Brute force and ignorance is the only language people like Philo understand."

"I like the way you think!" Jayne smiled, "But just charging in like that is kwong-chee duh."

"Jayne's right." Mal shuddered, "Did I just say that?"

"Afraid you did, sir." Zoë smiled, "We need to find out how many guns he's got, and how good they are."

"That shouldn't be too hard." Hank pulled out a piece of paper from his long coat, "There's a shooting competition in town two days from now. Most of his boy's will be there for all to see."

"Good idea." Mal nodded, "Jayne, you up for a little healthy competition?"

* * *

Wash landed the shuttle with his regular grace, not even jolting Mal and Jayne as they looked out the window.

"No need to win; just stay in the competition long enough for us to get a good look at what we'll be up against." Mal explained, keeping back in the shadows where he wouldn't be seen, "And don't do anything to draw attention to yourself. I don't want to have to go and bail you out of prison."

"Relax Mal." Jayne lifted the case containing Vera, "Easy as eating pie!"

"Last time we had pie, you ended up with half of it down the front of your shirt." Wash couldn't help but comment, drawing him a stern look from the captain. "Ok, I'll just shut up and do the flying..."

"No, you'll go out and work the crowd." Mal pulled the pilot to his feet, "I want to know what people think of dear old uncle Philo, how many of them would help him of their own free will."

"Fun, fun, fun!" Wash checked his pistol, "What an exciting life I lead..."

* * *

"There's no need to over do this." Mal whispered into the radio linked to the receiver in Jayne's ear, "We've got all the info we need: miss the next shot and drop out of the competition."

"What ever you say, Captain." Jayne sighted along the length of his rifle. A gentle squeeze of the trigger, and the round hit dead center, "But I could use the prize money."

"Why do I even bother?" Mal sighed, "Look, Philo's on his way over to you now. He'll probably offer you a job. Listen to what he has to say, thank him, but say you're just passing through."

"I got you." Jayne got to his feet, pulling the magazine from Vera and clearing the chamber before leaving the range enclosure.

"Say there, you're mighty handy with that there gun." Philo smiled, a thick cigar in his mouth, "Names Philo, Philo Reynolds; I own the biggest ranch on Shadow. I could always use a man with your talents."

"What's the pay?" Jayne smiled, catching sight of Wash out of the corner of his eye.

"For someone like you, 100-pltanum a mouth, free room and board. What you say?"

"Sounds tempting, but I'm only passing through." Jayne snapped closed Vera's case and turned back to the firing range: the next contestant fired at the distant target, missing by the narrowest of margins, "But it looks like my money troubles are taken care of." He turned back Philo, "Much obliged for the offer though."

"As you wish." Philo watched him walk off into the crowed, and was joined by a taller and much younger man, "Son Number One, I want that man followed: I want to know who he is, where he's staying, and who he's working for."

"I'm on it Pa." The younger man nodded.

* * *

"Ok, we now have a rough idea what we're up against and how good they are." Mal looked down at the map spread out over the dinner table, "We also know he normally only has half of them at the ranch at any one time. The rest he keeps in Clarkstown, in this boarding house here." He pointed to a large building on the edge of town.

"Those are mainly the hired guns." Hank sipped his coffee, "The ranch hands, the ones who ones who do the actual work, live in this building here." He pointed at a large bunkhouse near the Ranch house, "Not more than a dozen of them and none of them are fighters. Philo may be a son-of-a-bitch, but he only hires the best."

"That's may be, but we can't count them out." Zoë shook her head, "We need at lest two people to watch them incase they try and breakout."

"There are only four of us." Mal shook his head, "Me, you, Jayne and Sam."

"Five." Hank put his cup down, "I got a score to settle with that piece of Tzao gao."

"Ok, five." Mal nodded, "You and Sam keep an eye on the farm hands and cover our escape back to the shuttle. Things go bad, we bug out and head back here." He looked at the young farmer, "You realize what you have to lose by helping us. I can get you off planet and away, but I can't replace your farm."

"I know what I'm getting into." Hank nodded, "I think it's worth it."

"Ok, I think that's all we can do for now." Mal stretched, releasing some of the tension that had built up in his body, "I saw we break for dinner."

* * *

"We should probably head back to the ship." Kaylee look at the sun as it approached the horizon, then at River, "Captain won't like it if we're not back by dinner..."

"Hey pretty thing." A lecherous looking man stepped out in front of them, "What are a couple of nice girls like you two doing in this part of town?"

"Oh, we where just passing..." Kaylee backed up nervously, "Just looking to go home."

"Now that's a good idea." The man smiled, the stink of whisky thick on his breath, "Who don't I come and keep you company?" He grabbed Kaylee and pulled her close, "We can play house."

"Let her go, or gad as my witness I will drop you where you stand!" Sam appeared out of the shadows, her revolver pointing at the man's head. She cocked the hammer, "Now!"

"Scrawny little thing anyway." The man let the terrified engineer go, "Wouldn't have lasted long anyway."

"Then why don't you go across town to the whore-house and find something more to your liking?" Sam booted him in the seat of his pants, sending him staggering into the street, "Go on, get!"

"Thanks!" Kaylee gasped for breath.

"You're welcome." Sam holstered her gun, "Let's go."

Unseen in an alleyway across the road, a match struck up, lighting a cigarette, and illuminating the face of Philo Reynolds Junior. He pulled a radio from his hip, "Pa, its Junior: you'll never guess whose back in town…"

**To Be Continued...**


End file.
